Man dragged to death under bus

A man died after becoming trapped under the wheels of a bus and being dragged underneath for more than a mile, police said yesterday.

The body of Lee Beckwith, 21, a tiler from Brentwood, Essex, was found in the road by a passerby 15 minutes after he had tried to get off the N25 "bendy" bus with a friend in Ilford, east London at 5am yesterday.

Police said the driver, who works for East London Buses, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving during the incident, which began in Ilford High Road. "It appears at this early stage that the male then fell and became trapped beneath the wheels of the bus," a police spokesman said. "The body was dislodged after approximately a mile in Romford road. Police were alerted by passers-by at 5.14am."

Detective Sergeant Mark Robson, a crash investigator based at Chadwell Heath, appealed for witnesses. "We would ask people to come forward and contact us with any information as soon as possible," he said.

Police are studying CCTV footage from the bus and surrounding area.

Mr Beckwith's death has increased calls for an investigation into the safety of the bendy buses.

Liberal Democrat MP, Susan Cramer, said: "The great fear with bendy buses is that, Are they safe in the way we know other buses are in London? It seems to me we have to say it's about time for a review of bendy buses."

Transport for London has a fleet of 120 of the articulated buses, which are 18 metres (60ft) long and cost £200,000 each. There have been several incidents which have raised safety fears.

Last month one running on the daily 25 route in London burst into flames. In July, a man suffered serious leg injuries when he fell under one as it pulled out of a road near Victoria station.

A Transport for London spokesman said the London bus network had an excellent safety record. "Fatalities are extremely rare - one fatality for every 100 million miles operated," he said.